


The Importance of Bearing Cocoa

by Rachael Sabotini (wickedwords)



Category: The Tick (2001)
Genre: Comedy, Fluff, Fun, M/M, Romance, Yuletide, Yuletide 2006
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-25
Updated: 2006-12-25
Packaged: 2017-12-24 21:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/944958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedwords/pseuds/Rachael%20Sabotini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I feared that fishface had taken you from me forever! But like Geppetto, you survived the belly of the whale."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Importance of Bearing Cocoa

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for growly for yuletide 2006. Thanks to elynross for the beta. Writing in this fandom meant I could be as wacky as I wanted to be, and so there was no way I was passing that up. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to write something about Arthur and The Tick.

Searchlights from the circling helicopters lit up the night sky above the abandoned aquarium while the flashing lights of the fire department engines remained in the far distance. Police officers screamed at each other over bull horns, while the Pet Confederacy rounded up the smaller land sharks and dog fish that had survived the final dramatic confrontation between the Tick and the Scottish Angler.

Defeated, the Angler yelled something unintelligible over his flannel-clad shoulder as the police led him away, but Arthur wasn't listening. He plucked at his costume, the phosphorescent remains of the Epsilon Fish already growing ripe. He tried not to sniff himself. Wow, he needed to get home and change.

"Arthur!" The Tick yelled, bouncing over to him, lifting him in the air and hugging him, leaving Arthur's feet dangling a good four inches off of the ground. "I feared that fishface had taken you from me forever! But like Geppetto, you survived the belly of the whale."

"Epsilon fish." Arthur patted Tick's back, letting his hand slide over the hard knots of muscle there. "Mind setting me down?"

"Right." The Tick nodded enthusiastically, and eased Arthur onto the ground, wrapping a thick arm around Arthur's shoulders. "Come, my tiny comrade. We should celebrate this great victory over the clouds of darkness that tried to rain on our parade." He pointed at the coffee house that could barely be seen through the rescue engines. "And there, there is where we shall find refreshment."

"You want a latte? I thought you swore off coffee."

"There are other options than the murky dark blackness of a caffeine high. Instead, I wish to specialize in finding the perfect combination of rich, succulent dark chocolate and mellow white moo juice, foamed to perfection." His antennae vibrated as he spoke. "Treasure the little things, Arthur. It is what separates us from the supervillains." He enveloped Arthur's wrist in one mighty blue paw and tugged gently. "It's cocoa time."

Arthur shook his head. "I'm covered in fish guts, Tick. I'm just not in the mood."

The Tick's antennae wilted. "Not in the mood? But...but... _cocoa_. The drink of the Aztec gods!"

"Sorry. I'm just gonna go home and take a shower." Arthur shook off Tick's arm, which involved doing a full body shimmy, and head down, squished off to the bus stop; his wings were too wet to fly, and he deliberately ignored how the Tick stared mournfully after him until he turned and headed for the coffee shop by himself.

Flashing his bus pass at the driver, Arthur sat down on the first available seat; the derelict wino next to him immediately moved, muttering about the smell. With a sigh, Arthur stood up and opened the window as the bus set off; everyone around him gave an audible murmur of relief.

Arthur stared out the window, watching as the bus moved from the warehouse district into the downtown area, his thoughts gloomy. This was the thirty-seventh time he'd been kidnapped, and as anniversaries went, it shouldn't have been that big a deal, just one more kidnapping among so many. The Angler hadn't tried to marry him, just tortured him, waiting for the Tick to show, but even tied up and dangling over a churning vat of genetically enhanced electric eels had lost its appeal. He wanted someone to appreciate him for who he was, not just make a play for him as Tick's sidekick.

He pulled the cord to let the driver know it was his stop, and then padded over to his building. Maybe he needed something else from a superhero/sidekick relationship, something that made him feel special. After all, everyone's sidekick got kidnapped. It was just kinda what happened.

By the time he reached the apartment door, his mood was as wilted as his wings. He stripped out of his suit and left it lying on the floor--he'd have to clean it up later--and made a beeline for the bathroom. Turning on the shower, he let his fingers dangle in the water until it ran warm.

Maybe he should re-think accounting. But he hadn't been a particularly special accountant, either. And anyway, he always thought about accounting whenever he was kidnapped; it was just so predictable. Arthur hated being predictable. He hated being dull and boring and not taking risks. That was why he'd left accounting in the first place; it was just...too dull for him..

There was a huge thud overhead, followed by some large crashes and a booming noise, and then everything went quiet. Arthur turned off the water so he could hear better, because, hey, kidnapped twice in one day would be a personal record. He thought he heard the floorboards creak, and then a quietly gasped, yet oh, so violently anguished, 'No!!'

Maybe leaving his costume on the floor hadn't been such a good thing. "Tick?" Arthur asked as the shower curtain was pulled aside, revealing his blue friend and two huge cups of cocoa. The white cups were stained with brown splotches, and there was clearly hot chocolate dribbling between Tick's fingers; he must have carried the cocoa with him as he jumped building to building from the coffee house near the aquarium.

Arthur's heart beat a little faster; it meant an awful lot that Tick was willing to do that, even though, you know, he wouldn't have felt the scalding heat.

The Tick grinned brightly at him, antennae at attention. "When a giant fish swallows your best friend and rescuing him results in an explosion of fish guts and a stench that beats out the methane plant on a summer's day, well, it gets you thinking." He set the cups on the edge of the sink, then stepped over the edge of the tub, joining Arthur in the shower. "Who deserves the cocoa of Aztec gods more than your fish-gut wearing little buddy?" he said, looking down at Arthur, the water dripping off his nose and antennae. "Isn't that what life is about? Aren't we all standing beside one big ocean, waiting for cocoa, or maybe someone to jump in and swim?"

"Swimming's good," Arthur agreed, staring up at the smiling Tick. Well, he was the one who wanted to take risks "But this might be better." Slipping his hand behind Tick's neck, Arthur pulled his head down and kissed him.

THE END  



End file.
